Brilliantly bipartisan

Friday, February 20, 2009

I’m not clear what all the fuss is about regarding the Republicans not voting for the stimulus package. They did, or at least the only two that mattered did. The rest of the “no” vote was just political posturing. What could possibly be the value of supporting a somewhat flawed but necessary bill that was not of your making? Better to learn from the Democrats who are still liking their wounds from all their “yes” votes during the Bush administration. Anything goes even slightly wrong, it’s like “hey, I voted for the other guy.”

But without the support of your most liberal colleagues who made certain the bill had 60 votes in the Senate the Republican party would be be in a sticky situation. Your constituents are in states that need that money, something all those stimulus supporting Republican governors can attest to. So, make it look like you oppose the bill but make damn sure it gets passed. No arm twisting here, just a wink and a nod. Brilliant.